NPD April: Injustice: Gods Among Us, Xbox 360 on top of slow month

NPD’s report for the four week period between April 4th and May 7th is in, revealing an overall dip of 25 per cent at US retail when compared to the same period in 2012.

The sector brought in $495m total for the month, with the analysis group reminding that the figure doesn’t factor in digital purchases.

Software sales were down 17 per cent at $267.8m, with Injustice: Gods Among Us leading the pack as the best-selling title during the four weeks. Accessories saw $131.4m during the month, a year-over-year drop of 19 per cent.

Meanwhile, the hardware division brought in just $109.5m for the period – a 42 per cent decline from the $187.8m earned in 2012. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 lead the category yet again, with 130k units sold.

NPD analyst Liam Callahan points out that Easter falling in March this year played a factor on last month’s results.

“Easter typically accounts for a 10 percent boost in the month in which it occurs," he noted.

Callahan also explained that while numbers were down overall, April launches actually fared better this year versus 2012.

“Despite overall declines, April title launches in 2013 fared better than games that launched in April 2012, up 118 percent in unit sales and 130 percent in dollar sales. This increase was driven by games like Injustice: Gods Among Us, Dead Island: Riptide, and Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins.”

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